This invention relates to an air bag installation for a motor vehicle, more particularly to an improvement of the air bag installation for the passenger side of the motor vehicle.
It is well known that air bag assemblies have been developed as a safety system during a crash involving the motor vehicle, and already are utilized.
Such air bag assembly includes an air bag which is to be inflated by gas pressure, a crash detection sensor, and a gas generator which introduces gas into the air bag when a crash is detected. Such air bag assembly generally is mounted to the body of the vehicle as an air bag unit. The air bag units are equipped in a steering wheel for a driver side seat, and in an instrument panel through an opening therein for the passenger side seat. When a shock is generated due to a crash of the motor vehicle, the gas generator is operated by the crash detection sensor to inflate the air bag so as to protect the head and chest of a driver and passenger during forward movement thereof due to the crash.
Such air bag unit is, generally speaking, covered by a cover member called an air bag lid. The air bag lid for the air bag unit of the passenger side is comprised of an upper lid and a lower lid which are able to move in upward and downward directions and which are installed along the instrument panel surface to close the opening therein. The upper lid and lower lid are arranged to open automatically due to the pushing force inside the instrument panel from the inflation of the air bag.
In the conventional air bag unit, the air bag lids generally are mounted, for example to the instrument panel, by means of attachment members such as hinges. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open publication No. 64-7055 discloses a attachment member comprising a plurality of plate members connected with each other by connecting shafts.
Recently, the necessity to provide good designs for front windows or windshields of motor vehicles has resulted in the instrument panels of most motor vehicles having curved configurations. For example, from a side door toward the center of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the instrument has a curved configuration upwardly and downwardly and also frontwardly and rearwardly. In such case, the air bag lids should be shaped of a curved configuration to correspond to the shape of the instrument panel. It is difficult to use attachment members of conventional structure to attach the air bag lids to the curved instrument panel. Such problem could restrict the design flexibility of the instrument panel.
Also, conventionally, the air bag lids are constructed only integrally of plastic materials. Thus, the lids lack hardness necessary for support, and when the air bag inflates, the air bag lids could interfere with the instrument panel, thereby causing injury to both.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved air bag assembly whereby the air bag lids and the instrument panel are prevented from interfering with each other and whereby it is possible to ensure that the air bag lids will release properly and smoothly without injury to the lids or to the instrument panel during an opening operation, even if the air bag lids are of curved configuration corresponding to the shape of the instrument panel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved air bag assembly with increased stiffness of support of the air bag lids during the normal state thereof, compared to the conventional attaching means using hinges.